Afghan militants kill four in Wardak raid

Afghanistan soldiers stand guard at the site of a roadside bomb blast in Saidabad district of Wardak province, on April 8, 2013. At least four Afghan intelligence agents were killed and dozens of civilians were wounded when a group of Taliban militants attacked an intelligence bureau in central Afghanistan.
(AFP/File)

MAIDAN SHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – At least four Afghan intelligence agents were killed and dozens of civilians were wounded Sunday when a group of Taliban militants attacked an intelligence bureau in central Afghanistan, officials said.

Six attackers armed with guns and suicide vests attacked a National Directorate of Security (NDS) building in Maidan Shar, the capital city of Wardak province south of the capital Kabul, provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.

"Five attackers and four intelligence officers were killed in the ensuing clash. Thirty civilians were wounded," he said.

The first attacker was killed when he smashed his explosives-laden vehicle into the gate of the bureau, opening the way for the other five to enter the building, he said.

The fighting lasted an hour, ending only when all the militants were dead.

An AFP reporter said he had seen the bodies of five militants at the scene.

Doctor Ghulam Farooq Wardak, an official at Wardak central hospital, said more than 150 people -- mostly civilians -- were wounded.

"One hundred and fifty-three people including 23 women and two children have been brought to the hospital," he told AFP, adding that twelve civilians were in a critical condition.

The Taliban on their website claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their fighters have incurred heavy casualties to Afghan security forces.